DAY EIGHT: Auburn, CA to Mountain View, CA

September 3, 2006

8:54 AM
We depart Auburn.

11:37 AM
We arrive in Mountain View!

Sure, there were no stops, but by the eighth day, I just wanted to get home!
Now, I've got three days to spend with my mom before I officially move down to Los Angeles.
Oh, it feels great to be out of the car!

DAY EIGHT SUMMARY:
Total miles driven - 155.8
Number of states driven in - 1

High Roller!

We visited the El Dorado Casino in Reno so I could take my first shot at gambling.

I won five times working the slots, but then lost it all. I'm out $3! Gambling, it's such an addiction.

DAY SEVEN: Salt Lake City, UT to Auburn, CA

September 2, 2006

8:24 AM
We depart Salt Lake City.

8:37 AM
I spot the Great Salt Lake!

10:05 AM
We visit the Bonneville Salt Flats.

I leave my mark on the salt flats of Utah of all places!

10:15 AM
We enter Nevada.

10:18/9:18 AM
We enter the Pacific Time Zone.

10:40 AM
We pass through Elko, NV, the "Home of Cowboy Poetry." Hmmm, I wish we could have stayed to hear some of that...

2:31 PM
We make a quick change of plans, bypassing Fallon, NV and continuing on the road. There's no stopping us now!

3:28 PM
We arrive in Reno.

4:41 PM and $3 later
We depart Reno.

Official Nevada Roadkill Tally
1 skunk
4 coyote
8 rabbits
2 foxes
1 hawk

4:53 PM
We enter California!

We drive through Tahoe National Forest.

6:08 PM
We arrive in Auburn, CA.


DAY SEVEN SUMMARY:
Total miles driven - 608.5 (Record breaking!)
Number of states driven in - 2

The Real Golden Arches

When we were leaving the Arches National Park after taking tons of pictures, we overheard a woman say to a friend, "This is going to be one of those 'the pictures don't do it justice' kind of places." She was right. But I thought I'd post some of my favorites anyway.

This is at the visitor's center

Giving you a little perspective of just how large the arches are!

The Turret Arches.

The Fragile Arch.

Imitating nature: mini man-made sculptures like these decorated the pathways up to many of the natural rock formations and arches.

DAY SIX: Fruita, CO to Salt Lake City, UT

September 1, 2006

8:26 AM
We depart from Fruita, CO and drive past the Jurassic Museum.

Colorado Official Roadkill Tally:
2 raccoons
1 wolf (?)
1 coyote
3 skunks
3 indistinguishables

8:43 AM
We enter Utah.

We take the Scenic Route 128 and enjoy the view, 43 miles at a slow pace.

10:20 AM
We arrive at the Arches National Park.

1:10 PM
We depart the Arches National Park.

5:51 PM
We arrive in Salt Lake City, UT.

Utah Official Roadkill Tally:
1 porcupine
4 rabbits
1 raccoon
4 coyote
3 foxes
15 indistinguishables

DAY SIX SUMMARY:
Total miles driven - 355.0
Number of states driven in - 2